Hoarders is a well-crafted reality TV show that follows sufferers of hoarding disorder as they face a personal crisis that forces them to clean up their hoard. The show offers the help of a cleanup crew and psychologist and in return the hoarder agrees to have his or her personal circumstances utilized for entertainment purposes. The stories are compelling on two levels--first there is the battle against the hoard itself, generally the cleanup crew has only a few days to eliminate the hoard. More importantly, however, there is the battle that the hoarder wages in his/her own psyche to let all the stuff go and overcome their mental illness.
Hoarders is the type of show that you watch and wonder why you can't turn it off--it is all about garbage, after all. The reason however, is that it is about much more--there is real drama, because if these people do not get over their problems their lives are wrecked. Thus, the conflicts are real and compelling and draw you in.
The big problem with the show, however, is that it is likely not advisable to treat a mental illness this way--shock therapy and radical eradication of the hoard. Usually this just causes big trauma. It is quite telling that the majority of the hoarders seem to fail in their quest to get over their illness and relapse often without even partaking of the aftercare therapy that is offered. There is of course no ethical dilemma in cleaning up a hoard, but their certainly is if you are a licensed therapist and you engage in questionable treatment in pursuit of a different interest. I guess that in many cases, the hoarders on the show have reached a crisis point and the show does offer a way out, so perhaps the show is redeemable in that aspect.
This show is perfectly valid as compelling reality TV, and can certainly be watched that way. It also certainly raises awareness of hoarding. Beyond that however, you can't help but feel a little guilty for watching a person's life disintegrate because they had no other choice but call the Hoarders crew or face horrible consequences.
